Once Ringa and Brielle left, the rest of the crowd dissipated as well. A few looked into the park to gawk at the devastation that the Tauria had left in its wake as well as the receding pool of sludge that had spawned it, but the sights soon became mundane, and those people left the scene as well. The area had become vacant save for Janus, Itzel and Gurk. "You think some more Essencima are going to come out of that?" Janus asked, pointing at the now-puddle size area of black gunk in the middle of the grass.

"I guess not. Deep down, I was hoping another would show up so that way we could at least earn a few Tokens but looks like our luck has dried up." With a shrug of her shoulders, Itzel walked away from the scene, prompting her two companions to follow her.

"What's the next part of the plan then?" Janus asked, walking beside Itzel. She began to lead them in the direction towards their apartment.

"That Tauria fight took a lot out of me. Usually, I hate going home and taking a break without having earned any money, but honestly I'm so wiped right now, I don't even care. What about you, Gurk?"

"Same," the crocodile mumbled.

"That sounds like a plan to me," Janus replied. He heard his stomach growl. The pang in his stomach overcame the soreness in his arm. "Would either one of you happen to be able to spare me a few Tokens so I could get something to eat?" There was a brief silence, followed by Itzel looking at Gurk.

"Yeah, yeah. I'll cover your food this time. Just don't get anything expensive, alright? I'd like to eat something too."

"I wouldn't dare. I'm only going to look at the value menu."

"That's going to be your only option for a good while. I hope you enjoy warm potatoes in hot water."

"I'm a huge fan of it now."

"Lunch?" Gurk said. "Where?"

"Probably at Grub On. It's not like we've got the funds for any fine dining at the moment."

"Alright," Gurk replied, pressing his hand against his stomach. All three continued their walk towards the Market Sector of Labrisson. The walk took longer than usual due to having to wait for passing carriers at every intersection. The time was exacerbated by both their hunger and their fatigue. As they made their way towards the final crossing, the bright glowing lights of the vendors in the Market Sector came into view. The sidewalk became far more crowded as they progressed close to the diners.

Janus paid no mind to the people passing by; the thought of gnawing on a warm chunk of potato made him ignore all the glares that he was receiving because he was accompanied by Gurk. He followed Itzel closely, stealing glances at the other diners and restaurants that they passed. To his surprise, some of them emitted pleasant and savory scents, something that he hadn't been able to appreciate since his arrival in Labrisson. The aroma of baked bread and fresh tomato made him pause in his tracks until Itzel brought him back to his senses.

"Janus!" she shouted, standing a good distance from him as he stared through the window of an adjacent diner. He looked at her from the corner of his eye for a short moment before returning his attention to what was happening inside the building. Janus saw an employee dressed in a hat and apron lower a plate with an assortment of natural colors between a couple. By the jewelry that was around the woman's neck and wrist, he assumed the pair to be wealthy. "Janus!" Itzel shouted once more, this time marching towards him.

"Think I could take out a loan so I could eat something from in there?" Janus asked, pointing at the at the diner's window.

"You're already in debt. Doubt the city of Labrisson will you loan you even more Tokens just so you can have a meal at some haughty restaurant. Now let's get going to Grub On before Gurk sees—" Once Itzel saw Gurk frozen in place, staring through the window as well, she stomped her foot down. "This is what I was afraid of happening."

"What's wrong?" Janus asked. "I haven't smelled anything even remotely pleasant since I've been here. I was just taking a moment to enjoy—"

"Not you. I'm talking about Gurk. I know that place has to have cauliflower. And he's going to want to check out the price."

"Is that a bad thing?"

"You think those yuppies are going to be alright with Gurk walking in there? If they make a scene about him, then I'm going to make a scene," Itzel passed Janus and made her way towards the crocodile. He angled his head to try and get a view of the menu plastered on the back wall through the window. As he did, the pair of customers sitting at the table noticed him; the man dropped his fork on his black suit, spilling tomato all across his pants. The woman looked horrified as she placed her hand over chest, covering up her jeweled necklace. The man then beckoned to the waiter who promptly came by and immediately noticed the source of the commotion.

"Come on Gurk, let's going," Itzel said, tugging on Gurk's arm. Despite trying to pull him away, he remained completely motionless as he squinted to try and find cauliflower on the large menu in the back of the diner. "I feel like things are going to get messy if we don't leave. Now!"

"But... price!" Gurk mumbled.

"It's cauliflower! You already know that it's going to be out of our price range!" Itzel continued to pull on her friend's arm, only to have him remain completely motionless as he continued to try and get a view of the menu. The employee of the diner had ample time to step outside. He tapped his foot and crossed his arms as he looked at the crocodile with annoyance rather than fear.

The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

"Can I help you?" the employee asked, cocking his head sideways. He was a few inches shorter than Janus. His hair was short, black and slick. A thin black moustache was above his upper lip. He tugged on the collar of his blue uniform as he waited for the crocodile to respond.

"Cauliflower?" Gurk asked

"Yes. We carry it."

"How much?" Gurk asked again.

The face of the older man turned sour. He mustered the courage to step closer to Gurk, looking up at him and making eye contact while keeping his arms crossed. "I've got a feeling that no matter what I say, you don't actually plan on paying." Starting from the top of Gurk's metal mask, his eyes slowly made their way down his body, looking at the grass and dirt-stained jacket he wore and then at the frayed ends of his pants that were cut off at the knees. "I don't think this is the place for you. Sir."

"Just wondering," Gurk replied, his words carrying a tone of embarrassment.

"Perhaps you can go 'wonder' someone else." The employee pointed towards the other end of the street. "Like all the way over there. You're scaring our customers!"

"Hold on a minute now," Itzel said as she stood between her friend and the man that worked at the diner. She placed her hands on her hips, tilted her head up while still giving the man a cold glare. "Who says my friend here can't just look at your snooty menu?"

"Are you his master?" the man replied.

"Master? What is that supposed to mean?" Itzel snapped back.

"I assume that this must be your pet. Perhaps you should try using a leash the next time you—" The employee's sentence ended once he saw Itzel step forward. She took hold of his collar and clenched her fists as she pulled him in closer.

"You listen here! Gurk isn't a pet!" The man turned from annoyed to terrified in an instant. His arms dangled from his sides as Itzel continued to shake him. "He's just like one of us! And if you for one second think I'm just going to let you talk to him however you want, then you're about to have a—"

"Itzel!" Janus put a hand between the two, prying Itzel away from the employee. "Why are you causing such a fuss?"

"Because! I'm tired of snoots like this guy looking down at me and Gurk! This guy thinks he's better than us just because he gets some rich people giving him a big tip every once in a while!"

"Listen, lady," the employee said as he fixed the collar on his uniform. "If you and your friends don't leave, I'm contacting the Labrisson Justice Department."

"Go ahead," Itzel said. "I'm sure they'll take time off looking for missing people just to handle something as petty as this."

"I'm done with this conversation." The man turned around, holding onto the door with one hand but still facing the trio. "Do not come by here. Ever."

"Good! I never planned on it!" Itzel shouted.

"You'll never be able to afford it anyway!"

"You don't know that!"

The employee didn't reply to Itzel's last remark. He turned around, ready to walk inside until he became startled by one of his customers standing in the doorway, obstructing his path back inside the building.

"What's going on out here?" a young woman asked who the same height as the man in front of her was roughly. Her brown eyes were somewhat obscured by the straight brown hair that was underneath a red sock cap. She wore a tight black tank top and a moderately baggy pair of nylon pants that ended halfway down her shin. She had a slight tan, giving her skin an overall ivory tone.

"Just a couple of troublemakers trying to cause a fuss, Miss Arva," the employee replied, it clear that he was still trying to regain his composure. The woman poked her head out. Her eyes darted straight towards Gurk.

"Hey, I recognize you!" she said as stepped out of the door, pointing at the crocodile. Gurk turned his head to see who was addressing him. He smiled when he immediately recognized the person.

"Arva!" Gurk exclaimed.

"Oh no," Itzel said in a low voice, rolling her eyes.

"I just saw a Broadcast not too long ago where you and your friends were fighting that Essencima," she said. She placed on her hand on her chin as she began to look Gurk up and down. "I have to say, I was impressed by your moves."

"Really?" Gurk replied.

Arva nodded. "Really." She then looked at the employee, whose face was flushed red with embarrassment. "You were saying these people are troublemakers?" Arva gestured towards Gurk with her thumb.

"No, no. I must have mistaken them for someone else!" the employee said as he laughed phonily. "I was actually just getting ready to go check on your party's meal!"

"Why don't you go do that then?" Arva replied. With one hand she shooed him back inside. The employee wasted no time in returning to his post, leaving the woman with the other three outside. "Sorry about that," she said as she turned to face the others, "I don't think he'll be getting a tip today."

"It's fine," Gurk replied.

"Were you three about to get something to eat?" she asked, pointing to the diner behind her.

"We were," Itzel said. "But not here. We had plans to eat somewhere else. Isn't that right guys?"

"No," Gurk said.

"What are you talking about, big guy? We were just on our way to Grub On until you got distracted by the menu here."

"Grub On?" Arva scoffed. "You're going to pass up Top Tiers for a budget place like that?"

"Not everyone can be a Broadcaster for a living, Arva," Itzel said with a smile, her sarcasm all too obvious. "Us Labrissoners have to actually work for the few Tokens in our bank accounts."

"You know you could have just said you can't afford it, right?" Arva's eyes cut towards Itzel. "If you'd rather eat here, we'd be more than willing to pay for your meals. But on one condition."

"No thanks. Grub On is just fine. Right, Gurk?"

The crocodile turned to Itzel and shook his head. "Top Tiers!" he said.

"I'm inclined to agree, Itzel," Janus remarked. "If someone in Labrisson is offering me free food, I'm going to take it."

"Wow. I see how it is." She turned away from Janus to face the other woman. "Okay Arva. What is your condition?" Itzel asked

"It's not really a condition for you," she said before shifting her gaze towards Gurk. "We'll pay for whatever meal you want, but you have to hear us out on our offer. Does that sound fair to you?" she asked, pointing at him.

"Yeah!" Gurk replied excitedly.

"Come on inside then," she said as she kept the diner door open with one outstretched hand. She motioned for him to come inside with her other hand. The crocodile nodded, turning his body to the side so he could squeeze through the frame of the entryway. "You two can come join. If you like, of course." Janus walked towards the door until stopped him by putting her hand on his shoulder.

"Something wrong?" Janus asked.

"Do you even know who that is?" Itzel asked back.

"Nope. But I do know that she's offering us free food. Real food. So she's alright with me," Janus replied. Too hungry to hear Itzel's explanation as to why she had such an attitude, he hurried inside the restaurant and let the door close behind him.